Monday, November 27, 2017

Could Stem Cell Therapy Reduce the Need for Opioids?

When you live with chronic pain, every day can be a struggle. It can affect your ability to go to work, spend quality time with your family, and enjoy the things you love. Unfortunately, one of the most commonly prescribed treatments for pain relief, opioid medications, can cause more problems than they solve.

Millions of Americans are affected by the Opioid Epidemic, which results in thousands of fatal overdoses every year. Due to the highly addictive nature of opioid drugs, they are not recommended for long-term use, leading many to seek dangerous alternatives (such as heroine) when their pain persists. And when the body becomes dependent on opioids, their effectiveness declines. This means larger and larger doses are required to achieve pain relief, increasing the likelihood that a patient will develop an addition.

To combat the Opioid Epidemic, many are exploring alternative and non-addictive treatments for pain relief. One option that has helped many patients find long-lasting relief is stem cell therapy.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy is a safe, modern, and minimally-invasive approach that can reduce pain by helping the body heal itself. This approach is often used to treat back pain, sports injuries, degenerative diseases (including arthritis), and many other painful injuries and conditions.

The procedure consists of a three-step process. First, stem cells are harvested from an adult patient’s bone marrow or fat tissue. This is done under local anaesthetic to make sure the patient is as comfortable as possible. Then, while the patient relaxes, the stem cells are isolated in the laboratory. Finally, these cells are injected back into the patient’s body at the site of injury.

How Does Stem Cell Therapy Promote Healing?

Stem cells have the ability to develop into other types of organ cells. By injecting them right where they’re needed, they get to work immediately, helping to regenerate the damaged tissues, decrease inflammation, and promote circulation and healing by building new blood vessels.

Recent clinical trials have shown that stem cell therapy can be successful for treating back and joint pain. For example, after performing experiments in which stem cell therapy helped to reconstruct damaged vertebral discs in sheep, a Melbourne-based research team tested the effectiveness of the treatment for degenerative disc disease in humans, with positive results. After receiving one injection, around half of the participants in the trial have experienced no back pain for two years, as well as a dramatic increase in mobility.

The Future of Chronic Pain Treatment

These positive results suggest that stem cell therapy may be a safer alternative to prescription opioids for the treatment of chronic pain. Since the stem cells used are taken from the patient's own body, there is a very low risk of side effects.

If you’re living with chronic pain and are worried about the dangers of opioid medications, find out if stem cell therapy might be right for you. Contact us today at 201-288-7246 or visit our site for more information at whatisstemcelltherapy.com.